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Award-winning production and design studio Big Block earns nominations for the 37^th Annual Sports Emmy^® Awards with the graphics package they designed in collaboration with ESPN for Monday Night Football. ESPN leads the pack of Emmy^® honorees with a whopping 40 nominations.

The rebranded package for the 2015 season is shortlisted for Outstanding Live Graphic Design for both ESPN College Football and ESPN Monday Night Football. MNF also earned a second nomination in the Post-Produced Graphic Design category.

Big Block worked as a close creative partner of ESPN to create a fresh visual language that would be infused with the drama and high production values of a supercharged stage show. The resulting package served to set the new bar for sports network branding with a sophisticated, premium channel identity.

Fans were introduced to a historical show open created by ESPN, plus new graphics, animation, Team History bumps specific to each game, along with a revamped MNF shield logo from Big Block. At once luxe and brazen, the dynamic and attention-arresting graphics stun with their future-forward design, and are integrated throughout the gameplay broadcast for consistency and cohesion.  

“Communication between our creative teams was key in making this project so successful,” explains Big Block Executive Creative Director Curtis Doss.  “We had a vision to push the look and feel of a live event to new heights. An open line of communication with Spike Szykowny and his team at ESPN was paramount in allowing us to take that vision of intricacy and quality to the next level.”

The professional relationship between Big Block and ESPN is ongoing, with the sports giant repeatedly entrusting Big Block’s talented team for their content and design development expertise and thoughtful brand strategy. This history includes the 18-month rebrand of ESPN’s entire lineup of NFL shows in 2014. 

“We’re honored that ESPN entrusted us to reinvent the look of Monday Night Football, which is such a well-loved legacy brand,” remarks Big Block Managing Partner Kenny Solomon. “The Emmy^® nominations signify yet another exciting milestone in the creative partnership we’ve maintained with ESPN and in helping them to evolve Monday Night Football programming.”